Running Along in the Dark

 

 

500 lumens rolling down the trail.

 

 

Sam and his measly one headlamp

Darkness and snow.  That is all you get for the next 4 months.  You can embrace it; or slumber the winter away.  You can enjoy the fresh mountain air; or you can breathe the crap down in the valley.  You can gain 15 lbs over the holidays, or you can adapt to the season and get in some, (dare I say it?) awesome runs.

So the question I asked myself was this:  How do I enjoy running in the darkness and snow?  First... a steady plan on some good, well tracked out trails is a great start.  So, I asked Sam if he would be up for a weekly, Friday run of the Mueller Park loop.  The idea is that, unless otherwise stated, we will have a standing appointment, all the way through March, where we will meet on Fridays at 4:00 am at the Mueller Park trailhead. Then, taking consideration of the trail conditinos, run as far up the trail as we have time for.   Once you hit Rudy's Flats, you might as well keep going, since the running will be all downhill for the rest of the loop and would take about as much time either way to get back to the car.



Mueller Park Bountiful Blvd loop Map and Stats

Matt Ricks has joined us the last two weeks on this run.  We would love to have this be a group run every Friday, so If there is anyone who actually reads our blog (hi mom), you are welcome to join us.  However, this next Friday (Nov 29) we won't be running.

So... the second part of running this time of year is how to deal with the darkness.  A good headlamp is key.  However, I noticed that I don't love running in the darkness with my headlamp.  And after a few early, dark, trail runs this year, I figured out why.  Even though I love my Coast headlamp,  with the lamp so close to my eyes, I couldn't see the projected shadows from rocks, roots, and branches.  


Wristlamps.  You know you want one.

This made it quite difficult to determine depth perception, and my running slowed to a crawl.  So, being the ingenious thinker that I am, I decided to make some "wrist-lamps" to add to my headlamp.  I wanted to still have my hands free, so I bought two more Coast 175 lumen lamps, and did some Frankenstein work on the headlamps till I had two new wristlamps.  The other thing I did was to buy a bunch of good rechargeable batteries for them, so that every time I run, they have full power.  Sure, it cost me about $70 to get my lighting situation under control, but blasting 500 lumens of light on the trail makes running in the dark pretty cool, and removes the sense of impending darkness that you feel is constantly waiting to ambush you.


Here comes the train.

Yup... Embrace the season.  That means you Jake.

Area 51...I mean Trail 51

Matt Clark, Carl Grimaud, Jennifer Richards, Susette Fisher, Bill Hiatt, Me, R. Jeffrey Davis, (Nate Younger, taking the photo)

I made some Utah County friends this morning. It was the first time I've ever ran trails in Utah County. It was also my first Winter Wonderland run this year. Oh, I've been in the snow several times in the past month or so, but this is the first snow storm I've ran in. I guess I gotta grow my beard again.

Jen and Susette at the Rock Pile.

Bill, Nate, and I started on the BST at the Water Tower/Shooting Range parking lot in Orem, just above the cemetery. I had no idea how long I'd be out, so I packed for the long haul. I thought it would be colder too so I wore one layer to many. Bill quickly took the lead even without a headlamp. Nate and I wondered if we'd ever see him again. It was a little more than a mile to the Dry Canyon parking lot where we met everyone else. It has been months since I've ran with Nate and Jeff, it was good to see them again. The others I met at the trailhead. We had a great time.

We started up Dry Canyon and turned off on Trail 51. From there we crossed over way too many intersecting trails. It's a good thing Nate and Bill were there to guide us. Otherwise I'd be wandering around in circles, returning to a big rock pile from eight different directions. I'm not even kidding. The rock pile marks a trail crossing of like eight trails.

Nate & Bill.

I like running. I can now say that most of the time I run alone. Periodically I run with one or two others. I think the last time I ran with more than five people was in July when I went to Umstead Park in North Carolina. Running with a group is always fun. I like getting to know new trail runners. Some of the people I ran with today seemed surprised that I would drive 45 mins. to run with them. As I said, I like running. I'll go by myself most of the time, but it's nice to get out with other people. Chances are I'll see them at a race someday. Hopefully I can remember names and faces. I've ran with Nate twice now, but when I got out of the car and started talking to him I introduced myself. He gave me a funny look and paused, then said "I'm Nate" in a you-should-know-that-voice. Silly me. It was dark and I hadn't seen him in winter gear before, not that those are good excuses. Anyway, I had a great run today with some new buddies. Maybe, just maybe I'll remember who you are. :)

Hey, who's holding up the line?

Map and Stats of Trail 51, Dry Canyon, BST and others.

Adventures in Millcreek

Yucky Inversion.

Grandeur west face ascent.

It was nice to get up to the mountain trails this week. Lately, I've spent most of my time on a dirt canal road near my house at 4:00 a.m. I'd post pictures but there's nothing to see in the dark, and the story I could tell you don't really want to hear, trust me. Anyway, I've wanted to do the Grandeur-Pipeline Loop for some time now. Yesterday I finally got around to it. I've done Grandeur a few times via Church Fork, but this was my first time ascending the west face. It was a brutal climb to say the least. The trail rivaled Mt. Olympus' steepness, but was thankfully about a mile less to the summit. I passed many hikers and their dogs. I even saw a guy with some 5-fingers on. Wha ha! On the way up I turned and viewed the valley a few times. I bet most people thought it was an unusually nice day for the second week of November. What I saw was a nasty looking inversion.

Summit Monkey.

I tried something new this run. I only ate solid food, no energy bloks or gels. I had some English muffins on the drive to the trailhead, a burrito about an hour into the climb, and some fig newtons and beef jerky during the remaining two hours. I didn't feel low on energy and was able to get it all down with ease. However, when I had finished and gotten home I still had to force myself to eat. I have trouble eating after my longer runs. I hope someday I can figure it out. 

After summitting Grandeur I headed down Churchfork slipping and sliding on the icy-muddy trail for the first mile or so. After that I flew down to the Pipeline pretty quickly. I could see that the sun was only touching the tops of the mountains, it was starting to set. That was not good. I was only 1/2 way done and still had about six miles to go. It would soon be dark and cold. I pushed my speed, wanting to reach the side trail that shoots up over one of the mountains then back down to 

Map & Stats of the Grandeur Loop.

eventually connect me to where I started.

 I reached the Rattlesnake Gulch trail and knew that the shoot off trail was close. The first trail I saw in the waning light looked small and more of a game trail. I said a little prayer and started the ascent. It wasn't very long until I lost any semblance of a trail and most of the light. Oh, did I mention that I forgot my headlamp? I was determined to do the loop but a little voice quietly tugged at me to turn around to safer routes. After 10 too many leg scratches of bushwhacking in the now imminent darkness I turned around and decided to take the road back. Better safe than sorry.

Sunset on the Pipeline.

Last week I ran the Desolation trail which is just opposite of Church Fork. I originally wanted to loop over to Porter Fork but was likewise foiled. The Desolation trail has a special place in my heart because as a youth I worked at Cub Country and hiked it often. Looking back, I stand in amazement that the trail to Lookout Point used to take me two hours or so (leading tiny scouts and their fat leaders) now only takes me 40 mins.

After about three miles there was a steady four inches of snow. It slowed me down but I continued to climb for another three miles when I was very close to where the trail sideswipes the mountain over to the base of Raymond and then down Porter. However, I lost the trail in the deepening snow (now about nine inches) and just ran back the way I had come up. On this run I followed people and dog prints until I hit Lookout Point. Then I followed deer and the occasional bobcat print until I ran into moose. Then, closer to the top I was the only one makin' tracks.

A look at Grandeur from the top of Desolation.

Map & Stats of the Desolation Trail.